“Atticus sent a message. It’s one of his employees leaving his things. He’s staying with us for a few days.”
Hope jerked her head back. “Really? Tak said that was okay?”
I nodded. “In the heat house.”
“Shit.” Robyn stepped into Montana’s oversized shoes—the only pair by the door. “I better find Catcher before we havea bloodbath on our hands.” She clomped across the floor and rushed outside.
Cecilia stepped out onto the porch to watch.
Hope’s brows gathered, and she tapped her chin. “I need to prepare the heat house for a guest. Oh no! What about all those romance books?”
Melody put her hands on her hips. “I’m not embarrassed. Unless one of you packed a vibrator in there, I wouldn’t get worked up over it. Everyone knows what heat houses are used for, so it won’t be a big shocker if he finds your toys.”
Mercy’s eyes widened, and she flew out of the room.
Hope tamed her bedhead. “I’ll go put fresh sheets on the bed. Do you know if he wants anything to eat? Should we stock the cooler?”
I yawned. “He doesn’t need food. Only fresh towels.”
“I’ll put a few things in there in case.” Hope opened the coat closet in the hall and pulled out a long brown jacket. “Be right back.”
Catcher barked from the driveway as the car engine grew louder.
“It’s one of his delivery vans.” Cecilia closed the door and stood at the window to watch. “Whoopsie-daisy.”
“What happened?” Melody peered over her shoulder.
“Robyn tripped over Catcher while trying to hold him.”
“I should go help.” Melody jogged to the door while Cecilia and I remained at the window.
A black-haired man I recognized approached with two large suitcases. As soon as Melody opened the front door, Catcher flew inside like a hurricane, padded toward us, and then growled at the open door.
“I wouldn’t go in there,” Melody warned the driver from the porch. “You can leave those by the door. Is there anything else?”
“I got the rest!” Robyn shouted from the driveway.
Having stepped away from the window, I couldn’t see what was going on.
Melody walked in with a plastic bundle in her arms and presented it to me. “These are for you.”
I accepted the dozen white roses.
“Thanks so much,” Robyn said to the man before closing the door. The wind had blown her shaggy brown hair in front of her face, but she couldn’t swipe it back since her arms were full. “I’m so glad I wore flannel. This is for you.” In her arms were two boxes—one large and the other about eight inches. “I’m getting jealous. Where do you want to open them?”
I led her to the sectional. We had a console table to the left of the television where we charged our phones. It could be easy to lose track of them in a big house, so Lucian suggested a charging station so we could get into the habit of keeping our devices in one location while at home.
Cecilia briskly left the room, her ponytail swinging.
After smelling the roses, I set them on the table and switched on the lamp.
“Catcher, everything’s fine,” Robyn assured him. “Do you want to join our pajama party or go back outside?”
The brown wolf sniffed me again before trotting back to the door.
Both boxes had a card attached. I read the first one, which went with the larger box.
Melody craned her neck. “What’s it say?”
